Welcome to season 2! We begin with everyone's favorite heartless killing machine that just wants to watch Space Netflix and unfortunately keeps having emotions! Join Ryn and Sam as we discuss aliens, why capitalism is always the problem, international law in space, and sci-fi horror!   

Covers The Murderbot Diaries Book 1: All Systems Red by Martha Wells (2017)

Ep 2.1- Pass the (Preservation) Aux

Hello everyone, and welcome to the next phase of the Fandom Apprentice! If you're new to the pod, this is a great place to start- get (re)introduced to us as the hosts, our background with sci-fi, and our plans for season 2, focused on Martha Wells' Murderbot Diaries! If you're a regular, come on in and get cozy with some new media!

Season 2 Intro- Sufficiently Advanced Podcasting is Indistinguishable from Magic

Ryn and Sam know absolutely nothing about poetry. Neither of us took a single college-level English course. That will not, of course, stop us from having opinions on Tolkien's poetry and songs. This is what Bilbo Baggins hates. And/or what the Man in the Moon himself came down to listen to. You be the judge!     There is also An Announcement: This Is The End. Of Tolkien commentary anyway. For now. An announcement on what media comes next can be found in the last few minutes of this episode, so stay tuned! We promise it will be an excellent time.

Featuring music and voices from Maury Laws, Glenn Yarborough, A.R. Rahman, Donald Swann, William Elvin, The Tolkien Ensemble, Sir Christopher Lee, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Howard Shore!

Interlude- I Sit Beside My Computer And Think...

A gift to the foes of Mordor. Why not listen? Long have Ryn and Sam, the hosts of this podcast, overanalyzed the Lord of The Rings series. We come to the last of the movies today, so join us as we ride for ruin and the story's ending through discussions of gravity-defying snakes, mutilated tomatoes, the neverending road to cavalry tactics, music, and much more! 


Covers The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Extended Edition) (2003)

Ep 38- This Podcast Is A Gift

We move on to the second film in the trilogy, The Two Towers! Ryn provides more commentary on music, Sam continues to hate Gollum, and we are confused about some story choices! Join us for discussions on tragically cishet immortals, incredibly hot Numenoreans, Shakespearean actors, and Skyrim! Do you get to the Cloud District very often? Listeners of our podcast do!  

Covers The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Extended Edition) (2002)

Ep 37- Gard-g-g-g-gard

We finally dive into the movies with an emphasis on our special interests of soundtrack, costume design, and Aragorn! Join us as we ask the big questions: what's a leitmotif? How many hugs are in the movie? And why is Aragorn so hot?

Covers The Lord of The Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Edition) (2001)

Ep 36- Sights and Sounds of Middle Earth

We get our appendixes out! That is, we talk about the Lord of the Rings appendices. That's right, there's still more text to read! Join us as we pour over Arwen and Aragorn's romance, family trees, and the Book of Numbers, Tolkien Edition! aka a detailed timeline history of Numenor and the Second and Third Ages of Middle Earth.  

Covers Appendices A-F, published at the end of Return of the King

Ep 35- The Fandom Appendectomy

Having reached the end of the books, we take a minute to reflect on this journey and its stages, check in to see if our Definitely Universal Rules Of Fantasy hold up, talk about Sam Gamgee as The Everyman, and dig into our remaining lingering questions! 





Ep 34- Reflections and Rules of Fantasy

All good things must come to an end, a last stage, if you will. Join us as we discuss the very end of Return of the King, prison abolition, authoritarianism, Sam Gamgee's knowledge of buns, hobbit reproduction, and our feelings here at the end of this stage of our wonderful journey!   

Covers Return of the King Book VI, Chapter VIII: The Scouring of the Shire (Part B) and Chapter IX: The Grey Havens  

Some reading/watching/listening from our discussion this week-

Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra Podcast (2023-2024)

Hiding in Plain Sight: The Invention of Donald Trump and the Erosion of America by Sarah Kendzior (2020)
They Knew: How a Culture of Conspiracy Keeps America Complacent by Sarah Kendzior (2022)  

No One Is Disposable: Everyday Practices of Prison Abolition video series by Reina Gossett, Dean Spade, and Hope Dector (2014)  

Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Y. Davis (2003)
Abolition Democracy: Beyond Prisons, Torture, and Empire by Angela Y. Davis (2005)  

They Can't Kill Us All by Apes of The State (2023)

Ep 33-What's A Hobbit Without Flaws? 

The Hobbits have returned home, but it has not escaped the ravages of time- we finally come to Ryn's favorite chapter in all of Lord of the Rings, The Scouring of the Shire, which definitely has absolutely no relevance to the current political climate, none whatsoever. Anyway, for no reason at all it's a really good time to get to know your neighbors and local communities.    

Covers most of Book VI, Chapter VIII: The Scouring of the Shire- We had quite a bit to say, so we'll finish the chapter next episode!

Ep 32- All Hobbits Are Equal, But Some Are More Equal Than Others

Even the biggest nerds haven't seen it all- join Ryn and Sam on a guided journey through classic media that shaped our childhoods. A nostalgic romp for lifelong fans, and a perfect companion for anyone starting a fandom journey of their own.  
This season: a queer reading of the Lord of the Rings novels! We dive deep into this famously dense series with Ryn as our guide, examining Tolkien's historical and mythological influences, concocting our own theories on Hobbit masculinity, and speculating about what exactly Aragorn has going on under his tunic.  New episodes every other Tuesday!

The Fandom Apprentice